Dust dissemination poses safety, health and environmental problems in many commercial environments. For instance, dust suppression is of particular concern in the coal mining industry wherein coal dust dissemination caused by wind or transit motion may lead to black lung disease if inhaled over lengthy periods or, in other cases, to possible spontaneous combustion of the small dust particles. Similar concerns are raised when other materials such as sulfur, phosphates, clays, or other finely divided ores and minerals generate dust in handling operations during mining, transportation, storage or use.
In addition to the mining industry, many other commercial activities also provide potential for dust control problems. For instance, fertilizer dust has raised health concerns due to human and animal inhalation thereof and it also poses the problem of spontaneous combustion. The cement industry also is concerned with fugitive dust dissemination during the manufacture, transport and storage steps.
Industrial sources of fugitive dust include open operations, leaks and spills, storage, disposal, transit or poor housekeeping of sundry finely divided solids particulates. The iron and steel industries are replete with examples of the above enumerated categories. Problems associated with disposal and storage of the source of fugitive dust may be exemplified by, for instance, operation of a steel mill open hearth precipitator of the type having an electrostatic precipitator to control dust emissions. The dust removed by the electrostatic precipitator is typically collected in hoppers and periodically dumped into essentially closed containers known as "collecting pans." Despite the fact that connecting hoses are extended between the hopper and collecting pan, considerable fugitive dust emissions occur during material transfer. If the electrostatically removed particulate matter is to be used as landfill, severe fugitive dust emissions can occur during the dumping thereof. Natural winds have been reported as creating great dust clouds at such landfill sites. The transportation of particulates along conveyor belts and the dumping of the particulates therefrom also create fugitive dust emission problems of the "transportation and disposal" source type.